1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive electrical box structure for indicating incomplete insertion of a bus bar, and more particularly to an indicating structure whereby a part of the electrical connector box becomes visibly displaced if the bus bar has not been completely inserted and locked at the specified position.
2. Description of Background Information
FIG. 8 illustrates a relay box of the type contained in an automotive electrical connector box. Press fit bus bar 1 (hereafter referred to as bus bar 1) is inserted and locked into relay box 2 from beneath. Wire crimping part 1a, into which the end of wire W is crimped, extends from the lower edge of bus bar 1, and multiple terminals 1b are formed along the upper edge to distribute electrical power. Terminals 1b connect to relays and fuses which are installed in the upper side of relay box 2. When the wire harness is assembled, electrical wires are crimped to bus bar 1, bus bar 1 is inserted into relay box 2, and upper cover 3 and lower cover 4 are assembled around relay box 2 after transport to the next assembly station.
When bus bar 1 is installed in relay box 2, however, there is a chance that bus bar 1 will not be inserted completely to the specified position within relay box 2, thereby resulting in incomplete attachment. If this incomplete attachment is unnoticed, the relays and fuses will connect poorly, or not at all, thus resulting in the necessity of reassembling the electrical connector box.
Japanese Kokai (laid open) Patent No. H6-325815 attempts to rectify this problem through a structure in which, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, rear holder 9 is used to secure the position of terminal 8 within terminal chamber 7 of electrical connector box 5. More specifically, push tab 9b extends downward from the lower side of base plate 9a of rear holder 9, and flange 9c bends outward from the lower edge of push tab 9b toward the sidewall of lower case 6. Pushing lower case 6 upward to assemble electrical connector box 5 results in upper edge 6a of lower case 6 pressing upward against the lower side of flange 9c, thus securing rear holder 9 in the specified position.
However, because connector box 5 uses lower case 6 to secure rear holder 9 in the specified position, there is no visible external indication that rear holder 9 has been inserted completely. Therefore, even though lower case 6 has been installed, flange 9c of rear holder 9 may not be making full contact with upper edge 6a of lower case 6, thus making it difficult to determine if rear holder 9 has been inserted in the specified position or not. The assembly quality cannot be determined from an external examination, and even if lower case 6 is removed, it still cannot be visually verified that rear holder 9 is completely installed.